Urinal

ABSTRACT

The object of the present invention is a urinal apparatus fitted, in particular, with a special connection to which a duct is connected in order to extract the aerosol generated during its use, by means of an electric exhaust unit that expels the aerosol outside the bathroom, thus preventing it from being diffused inside the room.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Utility Patent application claims the benefit of and priority to Italian Patent Application Serial No. 202020000006908, filed Dec. 15, 2020, entitled “Improved Urinal,” the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Numerous international official studies have shown that viruses and bacteria, including the Coronavirus, are widely present in urine and in the aerosol generated during urinal use. Moreover, the aerosol commonly generated also has a bad smell.

Research has shown that the aerosol released from the urinal during use remains suspended in the bathroom air for several hours, becoming a source of infection if inhaled by a subsequent user. In addition, the aerosol is deposited on the surrounding surfaces of the bathroom, increasing the risk of contamination.

The problem is even more serious in cases where many people use the urinal, as is the case in offices, bars, hotels, and more generally, in all facilities open to the public, such as toilets in service stations, especially on highways.

Gas station installations generally include a number of urinals installed in close proximity to each other that can be used simultaneously. It is clear that in such environments, the presence of aerosol produced during urination can pose a considerable problem, considering both the number of users present in the same environment at the same time, as well as the structure of the urinal, which includes a urine collection basin connected to two side panels that extend upwards for 30/50 cm and join at the top, essentially leaving a large open frontal surface.

To ventilate the room in which the urinals are installed, the common solution is to open the window. Alternatively, if the room is equipped with a wall-mounted exhaust fan or similar device, this can be activated.

In both cases, it takes quite a considerable amount of time to achieve complete air exchange in the room.

As is well known and evident, for the purposes of hygienic safety, as long as the air in the bathroom has not been completely exchanged, the room should not be used. In addition, surfaces contaminated by deposited aerosols should be sanitized beforehand.

Another problem relating to the exchange of air via the window is that it causes an abrupt drop in temperature in the service room, which can be particularly annoying in the cold months.

SUMMARY

The object of the present invention is a urinal apparatus provided, in particular, with a special connection to which a duct is connected in order to extract the aerosol generated during use, by means of an electric exhaust unit that expels the aerosol outside the bathroom, thus preventing it from being diffused inside the room.

The urinal apparatus of this invention includes in the lower part of the urine collection basin, a drain connected to the sewage system; in the upper part, there is the wash water discharge outlet. Inside the urinal, an exhaust port is connected through an appropriate conduit to an exhaust unit that sucks in the contaminated aerosol.

In one possible embodiment, inside the urinal basin, several exhaust inlets are suitably positioned and connected to the exhaust unit.

In the case of several urinals, the individual aerosol exhaust inlets can also be connected to the exhaust unit with a single conduit.

The start-up of the exhaust unit can be controlled by photocells fitted on the individual urinals to detect the presence of a user.

There may also be a timer by means of which the operation of the exhaust unit is prolonged for a set time even after the user has left.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The urinal apparatus of the present invention is described below in an illustrative yet not limiting way by reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the longitudinal section of the urinal apparatus made according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to said figures, the urinal apparatus object of this invention is comprised of a basin (1) for the collection of urine, said basin has, in its lower part, a drain (5) connected to the sewage system and usually, in its upper part, a wash water supply duct (7).

Inside the basin (1) of the urinal, at least one exhaust inlet (2) is provided, located in the place (3) made in the urinal apparatus and connected to the exhaust unit (not shown) by means of a duct (4).

The exhaust unit may be comprised of a power source (e.g., battery or directly connected to a power outlet), a motor, and a fan to enable the operation of the exhaust unit. The exhaust unit may also be equipped with one or more air-cleaning devices such as some air purifier or air sanitizer given the odor that is suctioned through the inlet exhaust inlet (2) and duct (4). Furthermore, the exhaust unit may be equipped with a hardware-based memory device that stores computer-executable instructions executed by a dedicated controller or processor. The processor may, for example, trigger the operation of the exhaust unit's fan and suction features when, for example, a user is present.

If each individual urinal apparatus is fitted with several exhaust inlets (2) positioned inside the basin (1), there is a duct connecting each exhaust inlet (2) to the conduit (4) and consequently to the exhaust unit.

The operation of the exhaust unit is controlled, in one possible embodiment, by a photocell (6) installed either on or near the urinal apparatus itself and in any case, at a point where the presence of the user positioned in front of the urinal apparatus can be reliably detected. The photocell (6) may be operatively connected to the exhaust unit, such as to the exhaust unit's controller, thereby triggering the unit's fan and air suction features.

A photocell (6) (or photoresistor) is a sensor that changes its resistance when light shines on it. The resistance generated varies depending on the light striking at its surface. A high intensity of light incident on the surface will cause a lower resistance, whereas a lower intensity of light will cause higher resistance. Such resistance affects the photocell's operation and is used as an indicator that a user is present, that is, in front of the urinal. There are various types of photocells and other sensors that can detect the presence or absence of a user, and the use of the photocell discussed herein is exemplary only.

In order to optimize the operation of the exhaust unit, there may be a timer that prolongs the switching on of the exhaust unit for a certain period of time after the urinal apparatus has stopped being used, such as by a user. The timer may be a distinct timing device that operates in tandem with the exhaust unit's processor or may be a timing function that is programmatically set into the instructions of the exhaust unit's memory. Thus, for example, the timer may be activated responsive to the exhaust unit's switching on. The exhaust unit may stay activated until the timer reaches zero. The timer may last, for example, two seconds, five seconds, 10 seconds, etc. 

1. An improved urinal apparatus, comprised of: a urinal fitted with a urine collection basin, a duct for the passage of wash water from the urine collection basin to a discharge duct connected to a sewage system, wherein the improved urinal apparatus also includes: at least one exhaust inlet suitable for extracting bad odors and gas containing bacteria/virus aerosol from the urine collection basin during use; and at least one duct linked to an exhaust unit.
 2. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one duct is connected to the urine collection basin via the at least one exhaust inlet, the at least one exhaust inlet being positioned in place above the urine collection basin wherein the at least one duct is connected to the at least one exhaust inlet, and the at least one duct is, in turn, connected to the exhaust unit, wherein the exhaust unit is an electrical unit that powers the extraction of the bacteria/virus from the urine collection basin into the inlet.
 3. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one exhaust inlet is connected to the urine collection basin is positioned at a location suitable to allow the suction of the bacteria/virus aerosol inside urine collection basin.
 4. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 3, wherein there are multiple exhaust inlets present in the urine collection basin.
 5. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 1, wherein there are multiple exhaust inlets present in the urine collection basin.
 6. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a photocell connected to the urinal apparatus, in which the photocell detects a presence of a user and activates the exhaust unit.
 7. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a photocell connected to the urinal apparatus, in which the photocell detects a presence of a user and activates the exhaust unit.
 8. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a photocell connected to the urinal apparatus, in which the photocell detects a presence of a user and activates the exhaust unit.
 9. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 6, wherein a timer has been fitted, in which the timer is configured to prolong an operation of the exhaust unit for a specified period of time after the urinal apparatus has ceased to be used.
 10. The improved urinal apparatus of claim 8, wherein a timer has been fitted, in which the timer is configured to prolong an operation of the exhaust unit for a specified period of time after the urinal apparatus has ceased to be used. 